The Daily. Monday, March 11, 2002

Driven to excel: A portrait of Canada's workaholics

People who consider themselves workaholics are more likely than other Canadians to feel stressed or worried, and are less likely to feel happy or satisfied with their lives - even though they are just as likely to enjoy their jobs.

In addition, more than half feel trapped in a daily routine, compared with just one-third of their non-workaholic counterparts. And nearly 6 in 10 say they just don't have time for fun any more, compared with 3 in 10 non-workaholics. Rates of workaholism are higher among those with children.

This profile of people who described themselves as workaholics, based on time-use data from the 1998 General Social Survey (GSS), is published in the Spring 2002 issue of Canadian social trends, available today. According to the GSS, more than one-quarter of Canadians aged 15 and older, or 6.6 million people, considered themselves workaholics.

This proportion is in line with studies in the United States, which estimate that up to 30% of Americans are "addicted" to work.

More than half of those responding to the GSS who claimed to be workaholics say they felt under constant stress trying to accomplish more than they could handle. They reported being trapped in a daily routine and complained of never having enough time for fun. They were also more concerned than others about not devoting enough time to family and friends, and less satisfied with the way they spend their remaining time.

The proportion of people who lived with these negative feelings was significantly lower among people who did not consider themselves workaholics. For example, on the one hand 58% of self-perceived work addicts reported feeling constant stress trying to spread themselves too thinly. On the other hand, only 29% of those who did not feel they are workaholics reported feeling the same way.

However, the two groups showed no difference in how they viewed themselves. About 4 in 10 of both groups reported they were very satisfied with their self-esteem.

The data also showed that workaholics got just as much satisfaction from their careers as other workers. Nearly 4 in 10 among each group reported feeling very satisfied with their job.

Although work addiction can happen to anyone in any setting, people in management occupations, trades, and processing, manufacturing and utilities jobs were most likely to consider themselves workaholics. Those least likely to identify as workaholics were workers in clerical positions. These findings indicate that workaholics are not always in corporate or office jobs.

Note: The GSS was based on respondents' own perceptions of being workaholics. It is not known whether the respondents were in fact workaholics, only that they believed they were.

The spring 2002 issue of Canadian social trends, no. 64 (11-008-XIE, $8/$27; 11-008-XPE, $11/$36) is now available.

For more information about Canadian social trends, contact Susan Crompton (613-951-2556; cstsc@statcan.gc.ca), Housing, Family and Social Statistics Division. To enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Anna Kemeny (613-951-3399), Housing, Family and Social Statistics Division.